Trees in Heaven

Posted on | July 29, 2010 | 2 Comments

After a late night of the Photowalk, I woke up before dawn with the hopes of photographing the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. No luck. It was completely fogged in so much that I couldn’t see the bridge despite standing next to it at the first turnoff in the Marin Headlands.

Since that didn’t work out (and since Muir Woods NM wasn’t open yet), Greg Lato and I ended up going to Mount Tamalpais State Park above the fog layer to shoot landscape photos. Mt. Tam is the best California State Park in my opinion and it is not even close. Not only is the scenery amazing, the weather is about as extreme as it gets here. Down below the fog in Muir Woods, it was 50 degrees meanwhile just a few miles away up along Bolinas Ridge it was pushing 80 degrees by 7:30 a.m.

See more of my Bay Area pictures.

Mission Dolores San Francisco

Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments

Saturday was a crazy day as I managed to photograph Mission Dolores in the afternoon in-between a brief morning visit to the California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park (way too crowded), then lunch with friends, and before the evening Photowalk at the Seal Rocks. Mission Dolores was the 18th California Mission that I visited which is surprising to me since I used to live in San Francisco.

The one thing that stood out to me about Mission Dolores is that it is one of several missions that got swallowed up by a city. The cemetery outside is just a narrow strip of land that is surrounded by other buildings now. Looking at the historical paintings and models of Mission Dolores from the late 1700’s, it used to be isolated up in the hills just below Twin Peaks on a sprawling lot of land. The modern day lot looks nothing like that. The mission church however is still the original and is the oldest intact building remaining in San Francisco, having been built in 1791.

See more of my California Missions pictures.

San Francisco Seal Rocks – Worldwide Photowalk 2010

Posted on | July 27, 2010 | 5 Comments

This was the last photo I took during Saturday’s Worldwide Photowalk at the Seal Rocks in San Francisco which was led by Jim Goldstein. It was nearly pitch black outside except for the lights from the Cliff House beaming down from above which illuminated the Seal Rocks and the Pacific Ocean. I decided to go for a “hail mary” type of photo since I couldn’t really see well enough to focus and went for ISO 6400 with a 30 second exposure at f16 while a certain famous landscape photographer was relegated to looking on with his trusty Nikon…

I didn’t take a lot of photos since the weather wasn’t all that good to put it mildly but it was fun catching up with friends and meeting a few new people in the process. I had never attended a photowalk before but this one had about 35 I would guess which was a pretty good number. Of course everyone has their own priorities, of which some photographers seemed purely interested in taking photos for the contest rather than networking or learning but I was mainly there just to hang out since I had been to this location many times in the past.

See more of my San Francisco pictures.

Baker Beach

Posted on | July 24, 2010 | 4 Comments

I took this photo of the Golden Gate Bridge in February 2002, which was the same month that I learned what an F-stop was and how to spot meter. This was probably my first scenic landscape photography shoot since learning the basics of photography. Prior to this, I was just a someone who did point and shoot without knowing anything about how to control the camera. Later that year I moved to San Francisco. I’ve visited Baker Beach twice (as a tourist, not a nude sunbather!) in the eight years since taking this photo but this remains my best attempt. Someday I will take another stab at it.

See more of my San Francisco pictures.

3rd Annual Worldwide Photowalk

Posted on | July 20, 2010 | 6 Comments

The 3rd Annual Worldwide Photowalk is this coming Saturday, July 24th. I swore I would never use the word, “photowalk”, but since that is the name of this event it is what it is… anyway. There are 1,095 photowalks happening around the world on this day so visit their website and sign up for one if you haven’t already. This is my first time so I’ll be sure to write a follow-up post next week.

I’m looking forward to meeting up with several photographer friends and meeting new ones. Can you guess which one I am going to be at?

In the meantime, check out David DuChemin’s awesome video of the Vancouver Photowalk from last year which includes some very beautiful hot models.

Chinese Garden at The Huntington

Posted on | July 12, 2010 | 4 Comments

Liu Fang Yuan (Garden of Flowing Fragrance) is just one of five classical Chinese gardens in the United States. Having opened at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in 2008, I finally got a chance to see it yesterday while running an errand in Pasadena. My previous visit was in 2007 when I given a free annual pass as a gift but the garden was still being developed at the time. Several family members showed me pictures when it opened and it looked like a photogenic garden but I just never got around to going despite living nearby. I haven’t seen any other classical Chinese gardens so I have nothing to compare it to but it is perhaps the prettiest garden at the Huntington along with the famous Rose Garden.

I went for the high-key effect on this image since it was overcast. If I can acquire another annual pass, I’d like to try shooting this spot at sunset to see this place for all it’s glory. (During the summer, they have evening concerts for members and open til dusk.) I think the fall season might be a good time as well since the Japanese maples should turn colors.

A Look Inside of The Wedge

Posted on | July 11, 2010 | 4 Comments

Though I don’t surf, I keep tabs on the surfing conditions for anything that might be of interest. On Monday, I saw a report on Surfline that said the Wedge was producing waves of up to 15 feet so I thought it might be a good opportunity to practice on my 400mm lens before going to photograph grizzlies in Alaska. After seeing 25 footers at this time last year, the 15 footers were pretty boring by comparison. My camera and lens combination was a bit much for how close the waves were to shore so I didn’t have any luck in producing photos that had any sense of scale. I thought this photo was interesting though as there is actually a bodyboarder inside of the splashing water.

See more of my Orange County pictures.

Yellowstone National Park Photos and More

Posted on | July 7, 2010 | 6 Comments

I have finished processing photos of my recent trip to Yellowstone National Park and have added 62 new images to my website. Feel free to check out my new gallery of Yellowstone National Park pictures.

A bit more shameless self-promotion: My Vancouver skyline photo was licensed by one of my photo agencies for the opening credits of a Japanese TV show. As always, my photos are available for editorial & commercial image licensing and as fine art photography prints ranging from 12 x 16 to 40 x 60 and mural sizes depending on the use. The quality of digital cameras are so good now that I’ve sold 40 x 60 inch prints and the detail held up very well at that large size.

Video of Lower Yellowstone Falls

Posted on | July 6, 2010 | No Comments

Lower Yellowstone Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This is what it was like during my final day at Yellowstone National Park. It was a lot of fun to be out there in such a heavy storm but as always, you have to be aware of where you point your lens so the glass doesn’t get wet. Using a long lens hood helps but that is only possible on telephoto lenses whereas with most wide angles you are kind of S.O.L.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Video of Firehole River at Upper Geyser Basin

Posted on | July 5, 2010 | 2 Comments

Firehole River at Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

My original intention was to make a fancy multimedia video from my Yellowstone coverage but then it occurred to me that would be unnecessary because Yellowstone National Park speaks for itself so I’ll just stick to sharing unedited video clips.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Black Growler Steam Vent Video

Posted on | July 2, 2010 | No Comments

Nature video of Black Growler Steam Vent, Yellowstone National Park. This is the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Bison Traffic Jams in Yellowstone

Posted on | June 28, 2010 | 6 Comments

Bison traffic jams are a common sight in some parts of Yellowstone. All part of the experience of being in the world’s first national park. One night, there was a lengthy traffic jam due to a large herd of bison with babies in tow walking on the road along the Madison River. It was hilarious to see the babies trying to feed off the mama bison’s in the middle of the road with a mile’s long line of cars waiting.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

As you can probably guess, there are a fair amount of idiotic tourists out there (a familiar theme on some of these recent blog posts). At some point, several people behind me lost their patience and started honking their horns and one guy thinks he’s going to do something clever so he gets out of his car then runs past my car and several others to scream at and chase the bison off the road. The noble people in front of me really lit into him for doing that. He then had this sheepish grin on his face afterward while rubbing his hands. When I got my chance, I rolled down my passenger window, shot him a dirty look and told him, “Get back in your car, ass hole!” Hopefully somebody reported this guy’s license plate to the park rangers because his actions were a violation of federal law.

Most tourists are normal, responsible people who aren’t there to do stupid stuff but every now and then you’ll have some people bring their city-attitude to the national parks which then leads to problems. If you go to a national park, take it all in and leave your baggage at the entrance. If not, then please do us all a favor by staying home. Thank you.

Head-to-Head Combat

Posted on | June 27, 2010 | 2 Comments

Bison look docile most of the time since they spend much of the day grazing grass. But then other times they make you go, “Whoa!” If you’ve never seen a bison up-close, maybe this will give you some context: One day a large bison walked past my rental van and I noticed in the rear-view mirror than it was larger than the SUV behind me!

Many tourists must not know any better or are just plain dumb as I couldn’t believe some of the things they did to get photos of bison. One morning as I was walking back to my car at Upper Geyser Basin, I had to pause for a few minutes because a large buffalo was grazing next to the trail. However there was a mom who had her 20-something daughter stand next to the buffalo so she could pose for a picture. The park literature tells you to stay at least 75 feet from them because they can run up to 30 mph and weigh 2,000 lbs. Apparently the girl wasn’t afraid of getting gored. I on the other hand was scared for the girl and my own life for that matter.

Check out this classic video which is displayed at the Yellowstone National Park Visitor Center:

See more of my Yellowstone National Park photos.

An Unforgettable Kiss

Posted on | June 25, 2010 | 2 Comments

The nurse, Edith Shain, featured in the famous WWII Times Square kiss photo passed away this week at the age of 91. I thought it was interesting that the nurse never publicly admitted her identity until the 1970’s and that the identity of the sailor who kissed her is still unknown. Apparently they were strangers and the kiss was the extent of their interaction together other. It would have made for a storybook ending had they been reunited at some point after all these years but I guess some things are best left to the imagination.

See more of my San Diego photos.

Wherever They May Roam

Posted on | June 24, 2010 | 6 Comments

Bison are among the most common wildlife you see in Yellowstone so initially I thought they were kind of boring because they graze all the time. It wasn’t until I kept seeing them everyday that I noticed different behaviors. Once I saw babies, I was hooked! The babies hop all over the place and run circles around the parents. They always kept trying to feed off their mothers and the mom would keep shooing them away. Even the adult bison would do cute things like scratching their necks repeatedly against tree trunks and boulders. By the end of the trip, the buffalo had become my favorite animal at Yellowstone.

It is a sad story that bison once roamed North America by the tens of millions then was nearly hunted to extinction by the 20th century. There is nothing left of the historical range for buffalo. It’s been displaced by farmlands and urban development. No amount of GDP or “growth” is ever going to fix that.

It is only because we have a great National Parks system that buffalo are able to roam free in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park photos.

Sunset Lake

Posted on | June 23, 2010 | 4 Comments

I learned early on as a photographer that gloomy skies can be used effectively in landscape photography if you know what to look for. You can’t do much with the white, featureless type of skies but when you have the dark storm clouds with well-defined separation between clouds then it can lead to some moody landscapes which are just as exciting to photograph as nice sunsets in my opinion. The drawback? I had to call it a day shortly after making this picture because the rain started to come down hard by this point…

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Making Honey From Lemons

Posted on | June 22, 2010 | 6 Comments

Given that it was overcast for the majority of the trip, I often had to work around the dreary-looking skies by focusing my attention toward the ground. I’ll admit to having cursed at the weather more than a few times but I think it also pushed me to look for different compositions than I would have otherwise. Even when photographing subject matter without skies like in this photo at the Opalescent Pool, conditions can change. On this first day, there were clear reflections because the water was relatively still. When I re-visited this location several days later, I couldn’t repeat the same composition because there were no reflections due to the wind causing too many ripples in the water.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park photos.

Madison River

Posted on | June 21, 2010 | 4 Comments

Most nature photographers go out of their way to avoid human elements in their landscapes but in my opinion, the true challenge in landscape photography is how do you incorporate us into the landscape? Are we not also part of the planet?

When I was first introduced to Galen Rowell’s body of work, what immediately caught my eye was not the sunrises nor the Himalayan peaks but how he incorporated human figures into his scenes. It was a really unique style that opened my eyes to new possibilities. When done right, these types of photos generally can tell a story unlike that of your standard landscape devoid of human connection.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Lamar Valley

Posted on | June 20, 2010 | 2 Comments

Lamar Valley has some of the most spectacular landscapes in all of Yellowstone National Park but it is perhaps best known for the wildlife. Herds of bison, grizzly bears, packs of wolves, and pronghorn antelope dot the sweeping landscapes all visible from the main road. I was quite surprised by how easily accessible the pronghorn antelope was. This pronghorn was standing next to a small parking lot as I was driving by.

The grizzly bears proved to be a bit more elusive however. My strategy for finding bears was to stop wherever there was a group of people standing around with large telephoto lenses, binoculars and spotting scopes then eavesdropping on their dialogue. I had been doing this for four days up until this point and was unsuccessful at seeing any bears until this time when the snow-covered landscape was barren enough to spot them from afar. Even with a 400mm + 1.4x TC lens on a crop sensor camera, the two grizzlies were little more than two moving dots in the viewfinder. It was still an adrenaline-pumping experience to have seen my first two grizzlies in this manner. Can you spot them in this photo?

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Yellowstone Lake

Posted on | June 16, 2010 | 4 Comments

Yellowstone Lake more closely resembled a big ice skating rink than a lake. Since the lake lies at a higher elevation than most of the other popular areas of the park, it was one of the few places other than the mountain peaks that there was still a significant amount of winter snow leftover.

I thought the ice patterns were pretty cool so I tried to take photos but it was sort of tricky because the shoreline in this area wasn’t frozen so I had to step into the lake a little bit to reach the ice. Not owning a pair of hip waders though, I had no intention of getting my boots soaked by freezing water in a snow storm so I had to bend over as far as I could from where I was standing in the shallow water to reach this. Next time I’m going to man up and just walk in there barefoot! (And have towels and chemical warmers on the shoreline of course:-)

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

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